Each piece starts as a single line and evolves into a complex, crisscrossed drawing. The more times the thread passes over an area, the darker it gets, resulting in varying shades that mimic realistic, cross-hatched pencil drawings. Cvern explains, “The realisation that you can create an image only by straight lines is incredible.”

Cvern’s portrait subjects include historical artists, such as Salvador Dalí; pop stars, such as Rihanna and George Michael; and political figures, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Cvern also spins textile webs that depict animals and close-ups of eyes, where shadows and reflections are expertly rendered in varying layers of thread.